"Gu Qingfeng, if you are willing to hand over the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda, today our Buddha Dao will spare no effort to bring the little girl in your arms back to the Western Heaven."
After descending to the mortal realm, the dozen or so Buddhas of the Western Heaven Pure Land Sect, led by the Formless Holy Monk, stated directly, "However, it will not be to suppress or seal her, but to do everything possible to help her achieve deliverance."
As soon as these words were spoken.
Su Hua was first overjoyed, then doubtful, and after doubt came boundless disappointment and dejection.
Her joy stemmed from the fact that if the Western Heaven Buddha Dao was willing to help Xiao Jinr achieve deliverance, then the hope of her recovering to her original state would be tremendously high. It was even possible she might never be affected by the Blood Moon again in the future. After all, this was the Western Heaven Buddha Dao, and the Dharma was vast and boundless. If anyone in heaven and earth could deliver Xiao Jinr, it would undoubtedly be the Western Heaven Buddha Dao.
Her doubt arose because the one who spoke these words was the Formless Holy Monk of the Western Heaven Pure Land Sect—an extremely hypocritical man. Could his words be trusted?
What plunged Su Hua into endless disappointment and dejection was that moments ago, both the Immortal Dao and the Heavenly Dao had used Xiao Jinr's life to threaten Gu Qingfeng into handing over the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda. Now, even the Western Heaven Buddha Dao was using Xiao Jinr's life as a bargaining chip to threaten Gu Qingfeng into surrendering it.
Was this still the Western Heaven Buddha Dao?
Was this still the compassionate, all-saving Western Heaven Buddha Dao revered as the leader of the great Daos?
Su Hua was not unaware that the Western Heaven Buddha Dao was no longer the sacred pure land it once was.
Even so, she still held deep respect for the Western Heaven Buddha Dao and firmly believed that, no matter how bad or chaotic it had become in the Present-Ancient Era, it could not possibly be as devoid of principles as the Immortal Dao, which had stooped so low in its struggle to become the foremost Dao.
Yes.
She had always believed this and held this conviction.
Because the Western Heaven was, after all, the Buddha's pure land!
If even the Western Heaven Buddha Dao had fallen, was there any hope left for the Present-Ancient Era?
At this moment, Su Hua felt lost and bewildered. She felt that this world, these great Daos, were too filthy—so filthy it made her feel utterly helpless, as if she had fallen into an endless dark abyss with no hope of ever reaching the end.
She felt this way, and when Da Xing the Mad Monk heard the Formless Holy Monk using Xiao Jinr's life to threaten Gu Qingfeng into handing over the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda, he too could hardly believe it. He was practically exploding with fury and roared, "Formless!
Who gave you permission to descend to the mortal realm?
What right do you have to represent our Buddha?
When did our Buddha ever demand that Brother Gu hand over the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda!"
The Formless Holy Monk glanced disdainfully at the furious Da Xing the Mad Monk and sneered, "This humble monk descends to demand the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda under the Dharma decree of our Buddha."
With that, Formless raised his hand, and a golden scroll appeared in his palm. He tossed it over.
Suppressing his rage, Da Xing the Mad Monk opened the Dharma decree and read it, immediately flying into a rage. "Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! How can you bastards go back on your word? We agreed earlier that I would descend to persuade Brother Gu to hand over the Calamity Star, and you promised not to interfere in other matters. Damn it!
Why are you breaking your word now? Have you no shame left?"
As a Western Heaven Buddha, hailed as the Living Buddha of the Three Thousand Great Worlds, Da Xing the Mad Monk understood better than Su Hua just how terrible and chaotic the Western Heaven was today. Among the eight great Buddhist sects of the Western Heaven, some colluded with the Heavenly Dao, others with the Immortal Dao. The one Da Xing the Mad Monk despised the most was the Pure Land Sect, which claimed to be the leader of the eight great sects.
Although the Pure Land Sect did not collude with the Immortal Dao or the Heavenly Dao, it sought to supplant both and become the foremost Dao. This not only violated the founding principles of Buddha Dao since ancient times but was also an insult to the very word 'Buddha'.
Alas.
The Pure Land Sect's influence in the Western Heaven was immense.
No matter how displeased Da Xing the Mad Monk was, no matter how much he detested them, he could do nothing about the Pure Land Sect.
When the Calamity Star descended upon the world, he had not wanted to get involved, especially after learning it was connected to Gu Qingfeng. He knew the Three Thousand Great Daos had always coveted the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda on Gu Qingfeng's person, but due to Gu Qingfeng's mysterious and unknown nature, none dared to risk everything to seize it. The descent of the Calamity Star happened to give them an opportunity.
The Three Thousand Great Daos would certainly use the little girl as leverage to threaten Gu Qingfeng into handing over the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda. The Immortal Dao would, the Heavenly Dao would, and even the Western Heaven Buddha Dao would!
Therefore, when the Western Heaven approached him, he refused without a second thought. But he never expected the Western Heaven to seek out his respected fellow disciple, White Brows. When White Brows intervened, Da Xing the Mad Monk could not refuse him face, so he agreed—on the condition that he would only persuade Gu Qingfeng to hand over Xiao Jinr, and the Western Heaven would not meddle in anything else. Only after the Western Heaven agreed did Da Xing the Mad Monk steel himself and come to persuade Gu Qingfeng.
Yet he never imagined the Western Heaven could sink to such shameless depths, breaking their word and deceiving him for their own ends!
"Damn their ancestors!"
Clenching the Dharma decree tightly in his hand, Da Xing the Mad Monk's face flushed crimson with rage, his whole body trembling. Gnashing his teeth, he said to White Brows beside him, "Senior Brother, I told you long ago that those bastards in the Western Heaven Pure Land Sect are no good. Every one of them acts righteous, preaching benevolence, righteousness, morality, and compassion for the world, yet their hearts are filthier than anyone else's. They'll stop at nothing to achieve their goals. You insisted I trust them one last time. And now?
Do you finally see their ambition?"
The White-Browed Holy Monk merely lowered his head, pressed his palms together, and softly chanted, "Amitabha Buddha."
This scene made Da Xing the Mad Monk's heart sink. He seemed to realize something and asked incredulously, "Senior Brother, did you already know that those bastards in the Western Heaven wanted to use this opportunity, using the little girl's life to threaten Brother Gu into handing over the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda?"
The White-Browed Holy Monk chose silence, as if tacitly admitting it.
And Da Xing the Mad Monk also fell silent. It wasn't that he didn't want to speak, but facing the silent White Brows, he found himself utterly speechless.
He simply couldn't believe it, couldn't accept it—that the senior brother he had always respected had colluded with the Pure Land Sect.
Suddenly.
Da Xing the Mad Monk felt that Senior Brother White Brows had become a stranger, a stranger that pained his heart deeply. "Fine! Very fine!
You truly live up to being my senior brother. You've really opened my eyes!"
White Brows remained silent, head bowed. Another Buddha from the Zen Sect beside him spoke up, "Da Xing, things aren't as you think. Listen to our explanation!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk roared, "Explanation?
Explain my ass! Dare you say you didn't deceive me?"
"I admit we deceived you, but we had no choice! The little girl is, after all, the Calamity Star of the Daoless Age!"
"That's a fucking different matter!
If the little girl is the Calamity Star of the Daoless Age, just suppress and seal her! What do you mean by using her life to threaten Brother Gu?
Don't tell me you, too, covet the Human Dao like the Pure Land Sect, wanting to be the damn master of the great Daos?"
"No!
That's absolutely not what we mean, absolutely not! If you don't trust us, can't you at least trust Senior Brother White Brows?
What kind of person he is, you know better than us. Do you think Senior Brother White Brows could possibly covet the Human Dao like the Pure Land Sect, wanting Buddha Dao to be the foremost Dao?"